Executed Behind A Shed
by Ultimatedaywriter
Summary: He died on his knees when he couldn't work anymore. Like a lame horse he was put down. He couldn't imagine that death was only the beginning of an endless journey. Melchior is reborn in the Naruto world with two others like him. They form a team, get a sensei, and go on missions. Soft gamer fic. MA for lemons starting first chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Dread crept through his system; it was the worst time of the day again. If he wanted to become a ninja, then he couldn't run or hide. This was for the power, the money, and the woman. Especially the woman, they deserved to have someone as great as Melchior. For them and most of all for himself he would endure.

"Alright class its time to spar. First up Sasuke vs Melchior." He let out a groan as Sasuke slipped into the ring looking cool and edgy. Melchior met the guy's gaze and nodded his head. Sasuke was injured, his left leg was moving slower than normal. The injury was from a training accident yesterday, Sasuke sprained his ankle. The Uchiha always led with a left punch and a feint before a powerful kick. Injured as he was, he'd swap it up or risk a counter from his slowed kick. Melchior expected more punches than kicks during this spar but couldn't be certain.

"Go Mel, beat that beautiful brooding bastard, you can do it." Yelled Charlotte his friend. She was like him in many ways. In his group of friends, she was loud and outgoing. A party girl through and through. She was like him and their other friend. They were perhaps the only three like each other in this world.

"If you don't win this one, I'm going to spar with you until you finally break your habit." Dan shouted over the shrieking sounds of fan girls. Dan was the older brother among them. He'd been around the block and they relied on him for knowledge. Dan always had a plan and a back up plan. Since they woke up here, Dan's been slowly breaking Melchior's biggest flaw.

"Begin," Iruka yelled.

Sasuke feinted with his left and led with a knee. Melchior could feel his heart pound as he struggled to keep up. Holes appeared in Sasuke's guard and he told himself to punch but he couldn't move. While he was frozen, a blow caught him across the face forcing him back a step.

"Fight back loser." Sasuke growled. Another blow hit driving Melchior back. He could feel his teeth rattle, as he put his guard up.

"Alright get ready for the spar of your life after this one Mel." Dan shouted. Melchior was a coward; his feet were against the ring out and one push was all it would take. The final blow slipped through his block aimed for his face. He felt his adrenaline spike and his choice was taken from him.

His fists moved smashing Sasuke in the face. Melchior ducked under punch aimed for his temple and smashed fist after fist into Sasuke. Blood slipped down Sasuke's nose as Melchior unleashed blow after blow growing faster with every kata rehearsed and repeated. Melchior scarcely breathed as he felt chakra enhance his muscles as he began to drive Sasuke back.

"Enough, Sasuke wins this round and goes on." Iruka said.

"Hey Sasuke, was losing you saw it yourself." Charlotte screeched.

"Young lady, enough act like a kunoichi. If Sasuke hadn't held back, then he'd have beaten Melchior a long time ago." Melchior walked to the loser circle and stood there. His body shook from the adrenaline. He couldn't even fight for himself, until it was too late.

Hours later in an academy training ground, he fought Dan. Green lasers flashed smashing him in the chest and launching him into a log. The logs exploded smashing him further away. Dragon scales covered Melchior's body. They barely stopped Dan's ecto beam. Melchior dug his claws into the earth as he pulled himself back to his feet. Dan smirked as he phased through the dust. Appearing just in front of Melchior.

Dan has been reincarnated before. Last life he was born in the Danny Phantom universe. He recreated the accident that gave Danny his powers and became a phantom himself. Only he wasn't as lucky as Danny. In his weakened state Maddie and Jack found him. They made good on their promises to the original Danny and tore Dan apart molecule by molecule. The skill their gamer powers gave him didn't help and when he died, he ended up here with them.

Melchior was like Dan and Charlotte; he was a gamer who reincarnated in the Naruto Universe. Unlike Dan, Charlotte and himself were first timers. This was their first reincarnation. With the new life they gained a single unique skill. His was called Chimera Dragon form. Charlotte's was called Chaos Core. She hadn't used it in front of them. Apparently, she looked even less human than Melchior did in her form.

"It took me years to find a way into Fenton works and cause this accident. My free skill was hardly to my liking, but my first world was paradise. If I wasn't caught by the Fentons I would have stayed." Dan frowned when Melchior dropped his guard. Slowly, the dragon scales receded as Melchior ran out of chakra.

"I keep telling my body to fight but it doesn't obey me. It only acts when I'm pushed to the edge. I'm better than that, I know I am. Just leave me alone and let me deal with it." Melchior said.

Dan snorted. "You've left me no choice. Its clear the world before broke to your foundation. Its better to finish the job and build from scratch." Melchior looked into Dan's glowing green eyes and felt his chakra leave his control.

He was back in hell. Day in and day out, he worked under the barrel of a gun. Only when it was too late, when they took him outback behind a shed, did he fight back. Then instead of returning to the real world, he relived it all again. He died again and again. Each time, he fought only at the end. Then one morning, he punched a guard and was shot for it. The genjutus shattered and he was laying in the training ground covered in sweat.

Hours had passed since he'd been under the genjutsu. Dan sat on a stump reading an orange book with a half empty tissue box and beside a roaring fire.

"I threw a punch and died for it." Melchior said.

Dan turned a page and slid his bookmark in place. "Do you think you're free? Can you throw another punch?" Dan asked.

"I don't know. I died in the genjutus repeatedly. When I threw that punch, I didn't care about the consequences. Before all I could think about was the pain of action was worse than the pain of inaction. That's the root of my problem. I'm not better but it helped." Melchior said. Melchior heard the roar of some large animal.

A chakra beast was pinned down and bound by a large chain. It roared and thrashed against its binding. Its leg was half chewed away from its attempts to flee.

"A gift from Charlotte to keep you honest." Dan supplied. "Her idea was if you killed it, then you'd more easily kill a human in the future." Melchior looked the large thrashing bear over before turning to Dan.

"You don't have to kill the beast. I can kill it and say it was you. If you're not ready, it's not a big deal. All you need to do is throw a punch and I'll be satisfied." Dan said.

"Why do either of you care?" Melchior asked.

"We are all players. If we don't help each other than who will in this big bad multiverse." Dan said.

"What's your plan B?" Melchior asked.

"I have a much more brutal genjutsu in mind." Dan said.

Melchior picked up an old axe from a nearby tree stump. He stared at the bear.

"Doesn't this make me more of a coward. Its chained up. I don't want to kill something for no reason." Melchior argued. This obviously had nothing to do with an outstanding quest to kill such a bear.

"There is a reason. This isn't a bear your killing its your cowardice. I can see no foe more terrible or wild. It will destroy you if you let it." Dan said.

"Killing the bear won't remove it. I'm still me." Melchior said.

"Would you rather hesitate and let one of your teammates die? What if its one of those girl's you like to follow around? Would you let them die to keep your conscious clean?" Dan asked.

"I thought we were friends, why are you making me do this?" Melchior yelled.

"Its better to rip off the bandage. In other words, stop being a bitch and murder that helpless animal." Dan said. Melchior smashed his fist against Dan's face. He dropped the axe and tackled his friend.

They landed on the ground punching and kicking. Dan had the upper hand, but Melchior didn't give up.

The fire had died down and the bear continued to chew at its leg. Melchior's knuckles and face hurt, and his chest heaved for breath. Charlotte was treating Dan first. He slowly sat up and got out of the dirt. He walked over to the axe and picked it up. Dragon scales covered his body as his only skill took hold.

**Quest **

** Upgrade Chimera Dragon's Strength**

** Slay a Great Bear **

** Reward: Dragon Chimera Muscle Tempering **

It was one of the first quest's he'd received. Until it was completed, he'd receive no others.

He moved powering his speed with chakra enhancement. The axe smashed into the bear's head splitting the skull and shattering the axe handle. Claws like meat hooks slashed across his scales ripping some out to expose pink flesh beneath.

Melchior spun away from the follow up slash and slammed the remains of the handle into the axe head. He was still a coward. Not in a million years would Melchior attack the bear without an advantage. With it chained down its movements were predictable.

He wanted the power killing the bear would bring. It was a steppingstone to his revenge. So, he took the axe handle in both hands and slammed it into the axe blade. Bones crunched as the bear's skull cracked under the blow. The animal bellowed and struggled against the chain restraining it. The bear slumped from exhaustion.

Killing it made him feel more like a coward than ever. His chakra was running low, so he ended his skill. The dragon scales receded from his skin. The bear died, and a scroll appeared in his inventory. Melchior stepped up to the bear and pulled the axe head out.

"Why did you kill the bear? You already proved you can throw a punch by fighting Dan." Charlotte asked.

"Greed, he's the weakest of us and he wanted more power. Isn't that right coward. Would you have fought the bear if it wasn't chained?" Dan asked.

"Leave him alone Dan. He's shown that he can change so give him some time." She turned to him. "Melchior its ok to kill weakened enemies. I'd rather you kill weak enemies, its better when they can't be a problem later." Charlotte said.

"Are you saying you'll poison them for me next time?" Melchior asked.

"What did you get for the bear anyway? It was a skill quest, right?" Dan asked.

"It was muscle tempering to make my muscles like a chimera dragon's." Melchior said.

"As for the poisons." She leaned closer and whispered in his ear. "Let me ride that ribbed dragon." He pushed her away meeting her lecherous eyes.

Charlotte was a handful. Dan and Charlotte hooked up not long ago and anytime Dan and he hung out she wasn't happy. An unhappy eleven-year-old with deadly poison mist jutsu and her own special skill was a nightmare. Now after the breakup. She was wild.

"As great as I am. I'm no match for your great stamina." Melchior assured her.

"Get ready to go through some shit Melchior. Skill upgrades are harder to complete than the quest to get them. In some worlds they are impossible." Dan said. "If only I had a ghost technique of my own. I'm merely a half ghost." Dan lamented.

Melchior plucked a tooth barely hanging on from his mouth and tossed it at his friend's feet. "Must be horrible with all that super strength, healing, intangibility, unique element, and energy projection. Oh, share with me your woes Dan." Melchior said.

"Enough, you're both pretty but not as pretty as Sasuke! God, that preteen makes me moist." Charlotte said.

Melchior couldn't help but be thankful Charlotte wasn't an academic. If she managed to get on the same team as Sasuke that boy wouldn't survive. He'd be poisoned by accident in a week.

"I need to go home; I have some stuff to do before bed." Melchior said.

"He means, he has girls to stalk and training habits to memorize." Dan laughed, and Charlotte joined him.

"People watching is a perfectly acceptable ninja hobby. Iruka sensei said so." Melchior defended.

"Man, you're such a pervert. At least the girls I peak on aren't real. They just exist as words in this book and images in my mind." Dan said.

"You're just too lazy to put in the effort of stalking, transforming into a civilian, and befriending them." Melchior admonished.

"Oh, wise and incredible Melchior you have bested me in this game of wit fair thee well." Dan said as Melchior waved and left.

Melchior looked himself over in mirror. He was a spry looking twelve-year-old girl with dark brown hair and green eyes. His name was Yori and his hobbies were talking about Sasuke and hanging out with his best friend Sakura. The transformation jutsu was a marvelous tool for espionage and stalking.

He was in Sakura's room the walls were a shade of red that complimented the girl's hair with pink furniture around the room. Of all the ninja who had to practice this little art, Melchior was the only one who wasn't found out.

"Hey Yori, did you use my extra key to get in my house?" Sakura asked laughing when Melchior made a face.

"Now why would I do that? Your mother let me in, and I've been waiting on you to get home for hours. I've counted your posters a dozen time and went to the trouble of straightening them for you." Melchior had been let in by Sakura's mother but before then, he'd used several disguises to tail Sakura. Sakura began to undress and put on her night clothes.

"Did I tell you I'm taking the final exam tomorrow to become an official kunoichi?" Sakura said.

"Nope, never can you tell me about it?" Mel asked. He enjoyed hearing her talk while she changed her clothes. He watched her firm butt stretch as she put a leg through her pajama pants. Her underwear barely hid the pink tufts of pubic hair or the shapely form of her vagina. He stepped forward and grabbed ahold of her breasts.

"Are these growing in yet? I heard when you become a kunoichi you go up a cup size for every rank. Its like a rule." Melchior said. "I bet Sasuke will go crazy when he sees it."

"Hands off the merchandise Yori!" Sakura giggled before bumping him back with her butt. Sakura slipped her pajamas up but left her shirt off and jumped him. She giggled as they wrestled. She quickly overpowered him and straddled his lap. When he looked up into her green eyes, they were full of grief.

"Sasuke doesn't notice me. The only guy that does is that loser Naruto." Sakura huffed.

"You mean the guy who's always shrieking about becoming Hokage." Mel said.

"Yea, I don't get why he thinks he can be Hokage. If anyone gets it, it'll be Sasuke." Sakura said.

"Nah, take out your history book, let me show you something." She got off his lap and pulled a book off her desk.

"How do you know what's in our Konoha ninja history book?" Sakura asked.

"Its in the public library. Turn to the chapter about the fourth hokage. And tell me what you see?" Mel said. He twirled a lock of hair that was more chakra than actual hair.

"It's just a picture of the fourth and some text." Sakura said.

"Do you notice the spikey blond hair, and the blue eyes?" Mel asked.

"Ino has blonde hair and blue eyes." Sakura defended.

"They aren't that shade of blue and her hair isn't that shade of blonde. I've never seen anyone in the village with hair close to that color." Mel said.

"Yori the skin color is wrong. Naruto is tanner." Sakura said.

"Same nose, jawline, and forehead, he must have inherited his mother's cheek bones and eye shape. But can you see what I mean. When that kid says he's going to be, it has a bit more weight to it than let's say Kiba. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd put on Sasuke's team to keep two of Konoha's future leaders together." Mel said.

"What if he fails the exam?" Sakura asked.

"It won't matter." Melchior flipped her bra up and squeezed a nipple.

"Hey that's distracting and why won't it matter?" Sakura asked.

"He's the son of the fourth and an Uzumaki, he's going to become a ninja the third will bend the rules if he has must." Melchior said. He bent down and started to suck on her nipple and slid a hand down towards her pajama bottoms.

"Yori stop I'm saving myself for Sasuke." Sakura protested. She didn't stop his hand from sinking into her little pink nest. He rubbed well away from her clit to keep her from getting shocked early. "You're such a bad girl Yori, don't stop."

He didn't pop her cherry. Melchior might have been a bastard, but he wasn't a god damn bastard. After some licking, he slid a finger into her ass and played with her clit. It had taken little coaxing to get to this point. Sakura made the first move on him over a year ago. Now he played with her every night. They took showers together and he used her just as she used him.

A simple Genjutsu was enough to convince her she was licking a vagina. Even as she took the head of his penis into her mouth. She never thought to break the illusion. She ducked down and he buried his tongue inside her depths. Her tiny hymen didn't break so it was ok. Eventually, he burst inside of her and she swallowed all of it. It took over a year to train Sakura right, but it was well worth it.

Charlotte was waiting for him when he left Sakura's apartment. The blonde girl guided him through a back alley where he transformed back to normal. They made their way to their shared apartment. Dan was already asleep in the next room. He was the early to bed type.

"I don't know what you see in that girl. She so loud and annoying. All she cares about is Sasuke. If she knew it was really you, she'd have you killed. What you're doing is no longer considered stalking. Its rape by most definitions." Charlotte said. While Melchior made some tea.

"You just wish it was you who was getting eaten out. My tongue is magic and I've yet to unleash its true power upon Sakura." Melchior stuck his dragon tongue out in all its glory.

"If you want her, then reveal yourself. I'm sure she'll take kindly to the trickery once she realizes your tongue can do that." Charlotte said.

"She'll freak out and never know the glory that is my tongue and dick again. She'll have to settle for a sexless marriage with her idol. You know Sasuke's true love is Naruto." Melchior said.

"That's just fan-non and you know it. None of us have much experience in the multiverse. When we die, we leave a world behind forever? We may never see this world's like again. It makes me want to just die and see the next world." Charlotte said.

"The transition wasn't easy." Melchior said. He poured them each a cup then added some heavy cream to his.

"I'm surprised you didn't try something similar with Hinata." Charlotte said.

"I thought we were talking about the system's mechanics but alright. I was terrified of what the Hyuuga would do to me, if I went after their heiress. I'm still terrified. Hinata could reveal me to Sakura, if I'm not careful. Just when I've gotten really good at that false lesbian genjutus too."

"Just be careful, we're a team. I'd rather you not get yourself executed just to get your dick wet. You could always masturbate like Dan. I've found other means to satisfy myself." Charlotte said.

"That's good. If you reveal my secret to Sakura, there will be a reckoning." Melchior said.

"So, the coward has grown some teeth impressive." Charlotte said nonplussed.

Melchior's eyes became dragon like. Claws extended from his fingers and scales covered his face.

"I'm the last person who would betray you. Isn't that enough." No, it wasn't at any time she could reveal his secret.

"Your right, I should trust you. I'm probably tired and still a little horny. I should have gone another round with Sakura." Melchior muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

Melchior was mad as hell and every noise made him more pissed off. His stomach rumbled constantly for more food and nothing was ever enough. It was torture. To make matters worse, their sensei was late. He'd have to wait even longer to get some food.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 0.01% complete **

"Hey Mel, do you want to play a game of duel monsters?" Charlotte asked.

"Fuck off," Melchior groaned.

"I'll give you some chakra filled bear bacon if you play with us." Dan offered.

"As if I'd be swayed by bacon from the bear I killed." Melchior said and turned his nose up at his friend. A loud painful gurgle made him reconsider his stance. "How much bacon do you have?" Melchior asked.

"Twenty pounds all yours if you play." Dan said.

"Yay, lets shuffle our decks." Charlotte said.

Melchior felt his stomach calm down after he ate the bacon. He chewed up the thin cuts of bear meat quickly before eating another one. With his stomach full the pain began anew in his muscles. His legs cramped as he wiped the grease away. Twenty pounds of meat sat in his gut and he could feel it digesting at an incredible rate. His muscles were going through the tempering process as he used the breathing exercises and focuses his chakra to the right spots. Dan had been right about the skill upgrade. It was much harder to use the upgrade than to get it through a quest.

He drew five cards from his zombie deck. It was the classic vampire lord set. He added some pumpking in for fun. In a three way duel the last person to make a play attacked first. This time it happened to be Melchior. He used a dark hole and xyz summoned for a quick dig into their life points. It was probably the only hit he'd get this duel.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 0.11% complete **

"I'm glad we managed to get on the same team. Though I'm not sure if your little girlfriend shares that sentiment." Dan said.

"I thought you said she was annoying before." Charlotte said.

"Well, she is Sakura and you know the stereotype." Dan said.

"It isn't my fault that neither of you bothered using the transformation jutsu when we were told to stalk each other. I suppose, I'm just gifted." Melchior said.

"I'd argue Sakura is just retarded. You never invite her over and always find an excuse leave when Hinata is near. Didn't Iruka give you a failing grade for the class?" Charlotte said.

"He claimed you never tried. Sakura reported that nothing unusual happened. She just invited her friend Yori over and they hung out all night." Dan said.

"Dan have you been spying on the girl's class using invisibility again?" Charlotte asked.

"We all know Dan peaks on girls, did you think he quit when you two tried dating?" Mel asked.

"I believed him when he said he did." Charlotte said.

"Then why did you break up with me?" Dan asked.

"I needed more than you could give." Charlotte said.

Dan placed his hand on his deck and regathered his cards. They mostly occupied my field anyway. Vampire decks were broken. Mel looked between his friends and sighed.

"Charlotte didn't call you her practice dick as a term of endearment." Melchior said.

"What does Sakura think about your dick Mel?" Charlotte asked.

Melchior opened his mouth then closed it. She sucked it mostly under genjutsu.

"She enjoys the hell out of it. I guess she thinks Yori is a trap." Melchior said.

Charlotte snorted, she must have caught on to his lie.

"What am I going to do with my poor boys and their failure to please women?" Charlotte asked.

"You're the one who asked for my ultra-ribbed," She covered his mouth.

"Don't shame me for wanting to try new things. You aren't in the best shape to take me on right now." Charlotte admonished. Then she whispered. "I'll have that ultra-ribbed dragon cock when your man enough to take me." Charlotte intoned.

"I have super hearing, I've been able to hear your whispering the whole time." Dan muttered in his depression.

Their jonin sensei chose that moment to burst into the classroom. "I'm Mitarashi Anko. I like Dango, kicking ass, and bar fights. I dislike my sensei, whining, and peer pressure. My dream is to have all the dango in the world and retire as a fat diabetic school teacher." She yelled at the top of her lungs.

"I'm going to be Hokage." Naruto yelled on the roof top.

"The set of lungs on that guy." Dan muttered. "Well I'm Dan Phantom and I like ghosts, setting traps, and my friends. I dislike lying to my friends, pickled fish, and war. My dream is to become a master of PVP." Dan finished.

"Alright your turn blonde." Anko called.

"I'm Charlotte Grey and I like poisons, traps, and animals especially spiders. I dislike liars, being caught out of fortification, and tiny mushrooms. My dream is to become the best support of all time." Charlotte said.

"Alright brooding one you're the last." Anko said.

"My name is Melchior Nimrod and I like dragons, stalking, and food. I dislike being exposed, being told I'm evil for fighting back, and a little place called earth. My dream is to become the best dragon I can be." Melchior said.

"Wow they sure tossed me a grab bag of problems. Well I have a guy into dead things who wants to make friends. A girl whose greatest dream is to be truly passive. Then you the vague vengeance seeking dragon fanboy." She looked from Dan to him. Both of their faces were bruised and covered in wounds from today's spar.

"I'm not convinced the three of you are team material. So, I have a test in mind. A final test to really pump some team Konoha spirit into you. You three are going to spend a night in the forest of death. If you survive until morning, then welcome to team Anko. If you fail, well its back to the academy with the three of you." Anko said.

"Kekashi had a better speech." Dan commented.

"Does it look like a I care kid? You three are going to get your asses in gear now go." Anko barked. Mel stood up and the others joined him. They made their way out and trudged like zombies for the training ground.

The hunger pains were coming back, and he had to take a dump.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 0.28% complete **


	3. Chapter 3

As orphans they didn't have the money to buy body armor. Their tuition was barrowed from the bank of Konoha and the loans were about to come due. They hadn't bought new cloths in forever, so they had to get very good at trapping early on. He knew for a fact that Charlotte made multiple trips into the forest of death. She wore a poncho made of deer leather stitched with her own silk, her head band covered her forehead, and the rest of her body was covered by a skin-tight body suit. Dan was able to cloth himself in ectoplasm. He was in his phantom form taking point and floating a few inches off the ground. The simple hazmat suit and white flaming hair made him look like a deranged demon. Melchior was in the back, he wore a simple white T-shirt and a pair of kaki shorts. It was easier to wear something loose. His dragon form had elbow spikes, a snout full of dagger like teeth, and a long prehensile tail. His knees grew spikes and his feet were complete with raptor claws. It would tear anything form fitting.

According to Dan, his form would evolve with more quests completed for the skills. His next quest wouldn't come until he finished upgrading Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering. He was feeling hungrier than ever and he'd just finished digesting 80lbs of bear meat. They still had a ton of it to go. Dan gave him half of it and Melchior stored it in his inventory. Every meal he ate more than 50lbs of protein and he was always starving by the next meal. But he shouldn't be this hungry now. Worse, his chakra levels were dipping, and he was feeling dizzy.

"Dan stop there is something on Mel's neck." Dan halted his flight just as Melchior tried to stop he tripped and fell into a nearby thorn bush. He yelled out in pain as hundreds of tiny thorns dug into his flesh. He felt a horrible itching sensation come over him and his head started pounding. Before he could react. The thorns suddenly tightened and started reeling him in like a hooked fish.

Melchior momentarily had a moment of clarity, as he saw a massive flower rising from the ground opened. The disgusting scent of what could only be hydrochloric acid stung is nose. He could see the natural bear trap at work in the flower. Pollen shot from the flower obscuring his vision and making him feel drowsy. A blast of green plasma burned through the flower and blinded him momentarily. The vines released him and ripped as his skin more as they flowed back.

Charlotte's hands grabbed under his arms and she dragged him away from the vines. "Here's the original problem a venomous leech. They suck the blood of their prey, and make them dizzy with poison and blood loss, and then they release a pleasant scent that attracts their blind brethren. One must have gotten lucky and latched on to Mel. Once they bite you can't feel them." Charlotte said.

"Dan the best way to get it off is electrocution." Charlotte said. Mel felt a shock and the leech was gone.

"What about the thorns?" Dan asked.

"I'll get them out and dress the wounds. He's tough, he should be fine in a few hours." Charlotte said. Melchior nodded his head as she began to rip the thorns out of him. This wasn't his day at all. Just as she finished ripping the thorns from his swollen legs, he felt a horrible pain from his shoulder.

Charlotte looked up, but Dan moved faster. He shot an ecto beam and obliterated the spider. "Guys am I going to fucking die here." Melchior asked.

"No of course not that spider was barely deadly. I'm sure you have so much venom from the mankiller flower that the spider venom will prove ineffective." Charlotte said.

"Just eat Mel, try to finish up your skill quickly." Dan advised.

"Well that's the last of our wraps, field antivenom, and pain killers. I hate to say it, but we would have better luck going over to the ape territory. At least there, we can hide in a tree and they will probably leave us alone." Charlotte said.

"Neither of us have been there in years. What if they moved or died out?" Dan asked.

"The territory is still barren, I scouted it out while I tracked the bear." Charlotte said. Melchior saw a purple colored ant at big as his hand crawl out of a hole. He snatched his hand out and pinched the insect's mandible covered head off. Then he popped the rest of the animal into his mouth and crunched it. He started seeing purple spots, but it was filling. More began to rise from the hole and he had to use both hands to keep up.

"Mel what the hell. Those are more poisonous than the thorns." He kept eating the hunger pains slowly lessoned as his stomach swelled.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 1.53% complete **

"Man, you can't just eat things here. A lot of the animals are poisonous at least you didn't eat any of those venomous frogs." His muscles hurt an he could barely move. He was nothing but a burden on his team mates. They should just leave him there to die.

"What did they taste like?" I've always wanted to know but I never tried them because they were deadly." Charlotte asked.

"They tasted like cherry cola." Melchior said.

"Mel, I hate you so much." She turned to Dan. "Would you be a dear and roll his bloated ass on the sled?" Charlotte asked.

"You should just leave me her to my suffering." Mel said as he dug a hand into the ant hill and pulled out some larvae. After swallowing them down, he snatched up the queen. Her ovipositor alone was as large as his forearm. He bit into it and chewed. With practiced ease, he ripped the queen's head off and finished the morsal.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 1.88% complete**

He could feel his body working quickly. His arms were covered in dirt from digging up the nest. Piles of ant heads lay everywhere. Dan and Charlotte were looking over a map and checking their location. They made their decision and made a wooden sled out of fallen branches, Charlotte's silk, and knots. They shoved him against the sled and tied him to it.

"You should just leave me I'm nothing but a burden." Melchior said again.

"Yea, your annoying but we should have figured this would happen. You haven't studied the fauna or flora of the forest of death. You don't know the dangers of the area or how quick even experienced ninja die here. There is a reason why no one invades through it." Dan said.

"Maybe you should burry me underground with a straw and dig me up in the morning." Melchior said.

"Mel there are big ants like the purple army and tiny ants like the red death. Of the two the red death is far worse. They will sense the heat from your breath and enter the tube. How many millions can you handle biting your tongue, throat, and windpipe?" Charlotte asked.

"Just try not to eat anything too deadly and don't take any bear meat out of your inventory. It'll attract larger predators." Dan said.

"I wish I could lay down while my friends carried me." Charlotte said.

"Yea we're so jealous of you Mel, lucky dog." Dan quipped as they chose a course and began moving.

Hours passed before he woke up to an area that looked dead. His body shook from the poison and pain lanced through his body with every twitch.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 4.7% complete **

Charlotte flashed some hand signs to inform him about the area.

"This is the territory of the Giant Devil spider colony. They are well known for hunting down large prey and taking it home to feed upon. Their blind and this is a shortcut to the ape territory." Melchior's stomach began to rumble, and the group stopped. Spiders of all sizes began to descend their web. A tiny spider landed on Melchior's face.

He transformed his tongue into a dragon's and snatched up the spider. It took only a moment to swallow down the spider. The barbed hard surface of his tongue ripped the spider apart instantly. He honestly had no idea why Charlotte wanted tongue action from him. The web the spider climbed down upon blew in the wind. More spiders descended, and Melchior's tongue went back to work. He could extend to a foot and a half from his body.

After his tenth spider he was feeling dizzy again. One of the larger spiders tapped its leg against the sled experimentally. After a moment it let out a series of shrieks and the spiders retreated. An hour later they started moving again as silently as possible. They lifted the sled over trip wires, around pit falls, and Dan flew them over sticky trap doors.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 6.89% complete **

"What the fuck was that Melchior? What would you have done if one of the spiders got away and warned the others of our location?" Charlotte said.

"Charlotte," Dan said.

"I can't believe you. We could have died. We would have all died and then our journey would have come to an end. We would have to go through being born again." Charlotte yelled.

"That's enough Charlotte. There's no time." Dan said.

"Your supposed to be the shy one who doesn't take risks. I'm sorry for helping you. I didn't know helping you get over your issues would turn you into a total idiot." Charlotte yelled even louder.

"Charlotte, we're surrounded." Dan said.

Hairless, red eyed, black skinned apes held a suffocating presence. The air was colder here, and the bodies of animals littered the forest floor. Skeletons of hundreds of chakra beasts piled upon each other. One of the apes held a young chimp in its arms. It opened its mouth before biting into it. The chimp's fur fell out, its veins stood out as the blood was drained from it, and its flesh darkened before turning black as pitch.

It tossed the child ape on the ground. Before their eyes the ape's eyes opened revealing a red coloring like the adults. It leapt on all fours and charged at them yelling at the top of its lungs. The other infected apes made sounds mimicking laughter and clapping their hands.

Dan fired a green ecto blast at the creature. It knocked the creature back scorching its skin, but it leapt up immediately and charged. This time Dan punched his fist forward and unleashed greater power. When it hit the ape, it caused an explosion and the chimp's body shot back like a rag doll. For a moment the laughter died down until the child chimp's eyes opened. The laughter increased to a roar.

It crawled towards Dan opening its mouth and closing it. White veins dug through its body as skin began to flake off revealing stone beneath. The white stone spread through its body before the chimp turned fully to stone. It froze there with its hand out reached and its mouth open.

"Guy's leave me behind and get out of here. If they waste time feeding on me, you can get some distance. Their loud, if you travel through the Giant Devil spider territory they should get attacked by the spiders." Melchior said.

"That's a trap. They'll circle around while we sneak and keep us in the territory. They have more than enough numbers for it." Dan said immediately. Then shook his head. "Charlotte if I fail then our last line of defense. I'm going to use everything I have to wipe them out." Dan said.

"Why Dan fight? You can escape with Charlotte and reach Konoha. Neither of you should die for my sake. Cut me loose and I can sneak into the spider territory. All I have to do is survive a few hours right." Melchior said.

"I don't know why you keep suggesting you sacrifice yourself. It makes me think you don't value your life. It was under the Fenton's torture that I gained this power. I think it's time, I put it to use." Dan said.

Dan shot forward just as the Chimp Troop charged. With a single breath Dan unleashed his power as a ghostly wail. Waves of green ecto energy ripped trees apart, melted the chimp's brains, and upturned the earth. Dan kept up the attack as the trees ripped away revealing a cave. He ran out of power soon after the cave was revealed and transformed back into a human.

"That was our only mirror force, I hope we don't need another." A set of glowing red eyes appeared from within the cave. A man stepped out of the cave. His skin was pale unlike the chimps' black flesh. As he moved from the cave entrance the man smiled revealing misshapen curved fangs. His nose was bat like and a set of misshapen wings extended from his back. On his torn filthy shirt was a clean laminated badge that read Gato industries employee ID. On the badge was a picture with a smiling man in his mid-twenties.

"Shit, we need another one, don't we?" Melchior said.

"Dan take a breather, I got this." She tossed some smoke bombs then leapt into action. In the blink of the eye, he was on her. Melchior struggled against Charlotte's silk holding him to the sled. He had to move before it was too late. He turned his fingers into talons and began to saw at the silk holding him in place.

"No," Melchior yelled as the monster's dug his fangs into Charlotte's neck. The illusion broke revealing a log covered in bear traps. They snapped onto the vampire, because what else could it be. Melchior felt relief flood his body as the iron traps slammed down onto the creature. Silk flowed from Charlotte's pours as she covered the vampires with a layer of her stickiest silk. Immediately, after se bound him she moved to throwing poisoned needles. Instead of piercing his skin they bounced off. The vampire pulled the bear traps off his body revealing unblemished skin.

The silk fell away around him after losing its color. Melchior never saw that before. Charlotte's silk had always held they used it for sewing for a reason. It was cut resistant. So long as it had chakra it was strong. Was that it, could this creature absorb chakra or disperse it in some way?

Then the creature spoke. "Its been so long since I've had human blood. Your blood smells particularly delectable and full of chakra. But don't worry little kunoichi. Once I finish with you, you can have your friends all to yourself." Melchior's talons finally cut through the silk. He fell into the dirt and couldn't move.

"Oh god my eyes." The creature shrieked. He couldn't see the fight. Things were getting desperate. Charlotte's greatest weapon was gone, and Dan was out of commission. He could hear his friend snoring. Dan was so exhausted from his ghostly wail that he had to sleep and recharge. "I'm going to get you bitch." The vampire yelled out.

"Move body," Melchior shouted into the dirt. He needed to get up and show that pretender what a true monster was. Maybe he should just stay on the ground. Isn't it better to just die instead of fight.

The traitorous thoughts wouldn't let him go after a simple genjutsu. They were lurking ready to strike at an opportune moment. He knew that if he didn't save her then he'd die, Dan would die, and Charlotte would die. The plague would spread and perhaps all Konoha would die and become like this monster.

Charlotte couldn't win this, Dan was out, and it had to be him. Pain shot through his body as he placed a talon covered hand on the ground. His scales were white and shit for sneaking. They reflected light and showed the world exactly where and who he was. His talons were golden and easy to see even in the dark. No matter how much dirt covered them, they shined through. His tail was long, prehensile, it was covered in spikes, and fast. His snout was long, with a powerful bite strength, and an interlocking set of serrated teeth. On his chest was a weak set of scales that hadn't fully healed back together.

He took a step forward feeling the pain increase exponentially. His muscles felt like glass, but this was the end one way or another. He opened his mouth and roared in challenge as the pain and stress finally awoke is fight instinct.

Melchior dashed forward using his tail to balance. His fingers were flexible talons and his scales all the armor he needed. He rammed into the monster and punched with his fist. His talons were small golden bones that replaced his fingers in this form. They could flex like fingers, they ended in sharp curved hooks, and never touched his scales when making a fist. Unlike fingers, he could lock them turning them into a knife-like weapon.

When his locked fingers smashed against the vampire's neck sparks flew and his talons dulled and one cracked. He unlocked his fingers and punched with all his might. Each blow felt like he was hitting a stone wall. He couldn't stop. This was it, he had to win or die.

The vampire threw a haymaker breaking the scales on Melchior's shoulder and knocking him skidding across the ground. He moved back to his feet and smashed into the vampire. He lifted the creature off its feet and slammed it down. Melchior could feel his chakra levels rising as the red haze grew stronger.

Melchior could feel his chakra bolstering his dragon body making his talons so much harder. The raptor talons on his feet managed to find purchase on the vampire and dug in. The vampire gasped as it felt pain for the first time. Real fear entered the vampire's eyes. Some sort of realization took over just before Melchior opened his mouth and bit into the vampire's skull. Chakra enchantment made his teeth stronger and sharper than ever.

Flesh gave way to bone and bone gave way to brain matter. Melchior stabbed his barbed tongue into the organ ripping the organ apart. The vampire spasmed and bled as its body tried in vain to heal the massive wound. Chakra was being sucked up by the process at an insane rate. The skull was reforming, and the brain was regenerating. Melchior continued to rip and tear at the monster until the regeneration gave out.

Red stone like growths grew from the creature's body. When he was sure the monster was dead he let go of his dragon form and fell over. Pain wracked his body like he'd never felt before.

It was night when he woke up next. He heard the chirping of frogs and crickets. The sky was full of stars after Dan's ghostly wail. He took out a bunch of trees revealing the sky. There was a small wall around their camp with spiked stakes on top. A massive black pot sat atop a fire next to a massive roasting boar. Charlotte read a ninja manual and turned the pig passively. Dan was sitting upright drinking some tea.

"We survived after all." Melchior said. "It was all thanks to me." Charlotte snorted.

"You can take some credit Mel don't be too humble now. It wasn't like we literally dragged you most of the way including after the battle." Charlotte said.

"I don't think this is a normal occurrence." Dan said.

"That was a Gato Shipping employee ID. What does a shipping company have to do with a vampire?" Melchior asked.

"This smells like a conspiracy. I searched the cave it was filled with animal bones. He's been feeding and killing most of the animals. I think, he was smart enough to try to go below notice. Either way this isn't over not by a long shot." Dan said.

"The question is, should we tell our sensei?" Charlotte asked. He noticed her arm was in a cast. He'd been too slow getting involved.

"The fact that she didn't come running says all we need to know. A bunch of green as grass academy students would have died here. No, they would have taken one look at some of the chakra beasts here and turned around. Maybe that was her plan." Dan said.

"What about you? You're our plan guy. What was your plan after the mirror force? I was out of it and Charlotte couldn't damage that guy. I'm betting his eyes grew back quickly after the crushed glass." Melchior said.

"You were the plan. I bet on you for our final ace in the hole." Dan said. "I wasn't wrong, you saved our asses in the end."

"You don't seem poisoned anymore. The fight must have worked it out of your system. It looks like you lost a lot of muscle mass though." Charlotte said.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 20.23% complete **

He was a fifth of the way there. His stomach growled, and he felt hungrier than ever before. "A single pig is hardly worthy of our victory feast." The boar was half as large as the bear which was 16ft from snout to tail. An 8ft long boar had a lot of meat on it.

"Then eat some of the bear nothing wants to get close to this place. I had to fist a long distance for this boar and it was hard to reel in with one arm." Charlotte said.

"It feels like I keep paying for the upgrade with nothing to show for it. Is that normal Dan?" Melchior said as he stuffed his face.

"You won't get anything from the upgrade until its complete. The little boost you're getting from being angry is all you." Dan said.

Melchior split the hog's bones and ate the marrow before tossing them over the wall. There were no leftovers after their feast. Even Dan and Charlotte had seconds. Melchior finished the beast eating well over a ton of meat throughout the night. His body felt like a black hole consuming all of it to upgrade his muscles.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 25.99% complete**

His body was bursting with store food when he went to sleep. He dumped most of it behind a tree before going to bed. In his dreams the vampire killed Charlotte. He laughed at Melchior's weak attempts to fight him and called him a coward for taking too long to join the fight. His body cramped and failed him, and his chakra wouldn't listen. Anger wasn't enough, he was too weak. It was all because, he lacked knowledge, he fell head first into traps, and he was a coward.

They awoke the next day to see a team of ninja going through the place taking notes. A multitude of medic nin were studying the vampire's corpse. Some looked over the stone bodies of the apes.

"What's going on sensei do we pass?" Melchior asked Anko when the woman walked up to them. She looked them over seeing Charlotte's broken arm and their teams rough state. The red spider bite on Melchior's shoulder stood out along with the swollen wounds from the thorns. A massive bruise stood out on his shoulder from the vampire's haymaker. If not for the vampire's incompetence in combat the fight would have gone differently.

"What the hell happened? Don't you kids know what retreat means? Yea I'm going to be your sensei. First lesson, when fighting an unknown and they aren't your target or a threat to your mission retreat. You genin could have died. You should have died. Look at this place." Anko regained her composure.

"Good work team Anko report at the mission's office tomorrow." Anko said.

"Wait, how did some guy from the Gato trade company end up here it doesn't make sense." Dan said.

"Personally, I believe he washed up here from the river that runs through the training ground. The current starts in the ocean near a port town. All they would have to do to get rid of their failed experiment is dump them in the river. This time it happened to end up in the forest of death." Anko said.


	4. Chapter 4

Knowing when to employ a trap was as important as the trap itself. He kept his poisoned spikes polished to a gleam for that very reason. While most ninja kept to the dark colors black, brown, and the occasional grey, Melchior preferred a gleaming silver color. They were a distraction from his second trap. A small tension wire connected to an air powered senbon launcher. This trap was set far out of sight painted a dark grey and disguised as a lamp. The senbon launcher was no more his main trap than the spikes. In his bed with the covers thrown over was a puppet covered in explosive tags. A clever ninja would spot the spikes and possibly trip the senbon launcher. A cleverer ninja would avoid both and fall for the puppet. It was in the far side of the room where Melchior slept. A black silk blanket thrown over his body covered him from prying eyes. This was how he slept in the ninja world.

As the sunlight peaked in through his heavy curtains, Melchior slowly rose from his corner in the floor. He spread the curtains wide and let the sun shine in. The second sunlight touched him, he felt off. After taking a step away from the window, the feeling eased. That feeling was getting worse and happening more frequently. If he could get through a few D-ranks and earn some money he'd buy a large brimmed hat to protect himself.

His morning routine had started. He picked up the spikes, untied the tension wires, and returned his puppet to the closet. After making his bed, he placed his silk blanket back in its hidden location.

In the kitchen, he prepared the morning coffee an ate breakfast while reading a Shinobi's guide to traps, ambushes, and pranking by Shiro Uzumaki. With every turn of the page, he piled his plate higher. His need for protein had increased as he approached the final stretch. After a week doing nothing but studying and eating, he'd reached the end of the skill upgrade process.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 98.9% complete**

Training ground 44 had become his own buffet. He had a new fishing pole the line was made from Charlotte's silk. On the end of the line was a massive barbed hook. The rod was titanium and the hook chakra steel. He spent all his last orphan stipend on the rod, reel, and hooks.

Melchior had learned how to hunt in the forest of death. Venomous Leeches made for excellent bait. He hooked one and tossed it down from a tree and waited. Sometimes he'd a get a bear. It bit the hook and Melchior pulled. The hook slipped down the bear's throat and Melchior pulled lodging it in deep. From there he fought the bear until it grew tired and reeled it up the tree. From that point, he skinned the bear and tossed the rest in the grinder.

"My god Mel, how can you eat that?" Charlotte asked.

In a massive wok was bloody ground bear meat mixed with fried rice and two dozen raw eggs. Only the rice was cooked. He'd gained a taste for blood over the last week. It saved a lot of time. The last percent was taking longer than he'd thought. He'd eaten hundreds of pounds of meat and still the skill hadn't finished upgrading. All he could do was breath and focus his chakra. The last percent would come in time.

"I don't know what your talking about." Melchior said. "This taste delicious to me."

"Why are you both yelling, did you make coffee Melchior?" Dan asked.

"It's making now. Are you ready to start making money?" Melchior asked.

"I told you not to spend everything on that ridiculous fishing pole. Wood and an old reel would have worked fine." Charlotte grumbled.

"I prefer something, I don't have to replace." Melchior said.

"Really, because I thought the rod looked bent." Dan said.

"That's hilarious, all that money and work and it didn't last a week." Charlotte said.

"Don't we have some work to do?" Melchior said. He was referring to the mission office. They had less than an hour to meet their sensei there to receive their assignments for the day.

XXX

Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe while staring at his student's apprentice. He couldn't say he was disappointed. The forest of death wasn't an ideal place for the genin exam but that didn't disqualify it. From what reports he received team Anko performed remarkably. Not only did they manage to defeat an abomination, but they managed to destroy his tainted progeny as well. It really was an astronomical chance encounter. Any other team wouldn't have made it to the location or would have died. Team Anko was clearly special. His trackers were able to reenact the situation.

One of their team was poisoned from the forest's creatures. Their leader Dan Phantom managed to unleash a jutsu to destroy the tainted animals. It was some type of sound amplification jutsu. Regardless it exhausted him and their kunoichi took up the fight. It was a bad match. The creature absorbed chakra and stole it from binding jutsu. Kunai and senbon were ineffective and poison failed as well.

Once it appeared that their kunoichi couldn't win the member of their group who was poisoned took up the fight. Iruka's reports on the boy's condition were interesting. A coward with a fight reflex. He didn't run, instead he fought the creature and killed it. The boy possessed some type of unique transformation jutsu.

"Are you certain you want to continue training these shinobi?" Hiruzen asked. As great a kunoichi as Anko was these students may need a more balanced teacher.

"Yes Hokage, they are my team and I want to see them to chunin." Anko said.

"Then train them well Anko." Hiruzen said.

"Thank you Hokage." Anko said.

"They need missions to grow, I request a C-rank mission at the earliest opportunity. I also request that if any team requires assistance on a C-rank that we be the first team informed." Anko requested.

"Are you certain they can handle such responsibilities?" Hiruzen asked.

"They are strong, but they need experience to grow as much of it as I can give them before they're chunin." Anko said.

"Very well, if you are in the area and a Konoha team requires assistance, you will be the first team called." Hiruzen said.

XXX

They were in a field pulling potatoes. The sun was on them and Melchior wasn't happy. Every step was a struggle as the harsh rays pushed down on him. The sun was god's judgment, he didn't belong in this world. There was something wrong with him down to the blood in his veins. The sun itself was rejecting him. It was a cool autumn day and yet to him it felt like the worst desert heat. Sweat poured from his body as the world seemed to vanish like smoke.

"Mel are you alright, you don't look so good." Charlotte said. Melchior looked up at her. He could feel his body overheat and his blood burn.

"Don't pretend you don't know what's going on. Anyone with eyes could guess. This is happening to me because, I was tainted. That vampire must have infected me." Melchior said.

"You're being ridiculous, the med nin said you were clean. If you were tainted, it would have happened immediately. You're still you Mel." Dan said.

He placed another potato in the pile. This was hell, it was messing with his vision and thoughts. If he could only get out of the sun. Just a few more hours of this and the sun would go down and he'd get paid. Then he could buy his hat and be fine.

There was no time. As he placed his latest potato, he fell and felt the rush of blessed darkness.

XXX

Anko kicked a rolling tray over and smashed her fist against the wall. They should have caught this. How could this have happened? It was a freak accident it had to be.

She stepped into her student's room. Machines of all kinds were attached to him. Med nin and specialists moved in and out of the room. For them this was a unique opportunity. They could study one of the new diseases while to slowly tainted her student. It was sick and wrong and there was nothing she could do.

"Can you tell me anything?" Anko demanded. The lead medic nin Tenma looked up from his journal.

"Its like nothing we've seen before. This enzyme is a mutation of the original. While it was trying to infect his body, it had to deal with a massive number of toxins. We are seeing the effect of massive amounts of cortisol and testosterone combined with several toxins. When did he get bitten by a death viper? How did he get devil spider venom in his stomach? How did he survive consuming an entire colony of giant purple ants? The enzyme had to evolve to deal with all these factors and in doing so it changed completely. It isn't the same enzyme that infected the abominations. It merely shares an ancestry." Tenma said.

"What does that mean for my student?" Anko asked.

"The enzyme is reacting slower than normal. We've created a drug to slow it down even further. Reversing it is unfortunately impossible. Its altering his DNA in ways we don't understand." Tenma said.

"Will he live?" Anko asked.

"Yes, and he will still be able to be a shinobi. He'll need keep out of the sun as much as possible, but he will live." Tenma said.

XXX

Melchior stabbed a needle into his leg and felt the cold liquid enter his veins. It was everyday now. He was at home on at his desk looking over a few books on fuinjutsu. Sakura had called him several times asking if Yori could come over. She was getting worried about her friend.

He'd need to go to her and pretend to be Yori again. Maybe he could orchestrate a falling out. That would make his life a little easier. The question was how to swing it without being charged with some crime. Night had fallen, and he couldn't sleep. The night filled him with energy and denied him rest. During the day he felt drowsy but didn't feel like sleeping then either. They said it had something to do with the enzyme's effect on his mind. The enzyme was forcing parts of his mind to rest throughout the day. Sometimes he zoned out for a few minutes and felt refreshed.

His skill was at the end of its upgrade. By morning, he was certain that he'd finally finish the upgrade.

**Chimera Dragon Muscle Tempering 99.999% complete. **

With all the time he had, he decided to study fuinjutsu. There was no learning curse or cheat code to the art. Every chakra signature was different, so every style of fuinjutsu was like a different programming language. There were some functions certain users could do better than others and some that were universal. Melchior was finding that his style had no object limit, but he couldn't summon or seal to save his life. He didn't think that was his own language's fault. It was inexperience.

He checked the time and it was getting late. Melchior put his brush down and put on his hat, polar goggles, and long coat. He had a cloak that stretched over his body to further protect him from the sun.

He and his team waited in the mission's office for their first C-rank mission. After nearly a month they'd finally gotten a real mission. A man dressed in red Samurai armor walked up to them. He looked them over then snorted.

"I guess you'll do for scouting mission. My name is Kyo. You are to ensure no bandits bother me while I make my way to the coastal city of Wales. They haven't paid their taxes in over six months. They haven't replied to our inquiries in two years. We're going to go see what happened to them." Kyo said.

Melchior looked at the land of fire map and looked for Wales. He placed his finger on it just beside the river that flowed from the sea to the forest of death.

"Do you think we could use a raft to make our way back?" Melchior asked.

"No, you're to escort me back to the fire capital before your mission is complete." Kyo said. He looked at the Samurai and nodded. He was certain this would be a fun and safe mission.

**Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other Fictions I use. Please support the official release.**

**Author's Note: If you liked my story don't leave a favorite, follow, or review**

From time immemorial man has wanted challenge. Nothing makes life duller than an easy win. It is struggle that makes life worth living. Blood and mud are the building blocks of life. With time and training even, the strongest NCP is nothing. They are predictable boring bland. No, the only thing that can satisfy a real man is PVP. Dan had waited 38 years for the chance to fight an equal and now there was a potential challenge on his own team. It was hard removing his cowardice. Dan wanted to see it replaced with a rage unending.

He sat with Mel sipping coffee and packing any ninja tools they could need for the trip. They had plenty of medical pills, kunai, and wire. Melchior had his puppet, packed in his inventory even though he didn't sleep any longer. Dan narrowed his eyes; he didn't like useless things.

"Wales is a port town upriver of the forest of death isn't it?" Dan asked. They both knew the answer.

"We will fight more vampires. Does that interest you Dan? We barely survived our last encounter. What world do you think we'll end up on when we die this time?" Mel asked.

"I'd prefer if we don't die at all but there is a chance. I'm surprised the Hokage is letting us have this mission. I'm more surprised it's a C-rank." Dan smiled and nodded it was his doing. He overshadowed Iruka and a few other ninjas in charge of assigning missions. The location of their escort mission didn't even register. Mel didn't know how powerful Dan truly was. Dan planned to keep it a mystery until it was time for PVP.

"We could die on our first mission. Trying to save our village from a vampire invasion is a noble way to die. More noble than the last time. Could you die without revealing your secret to Sakura? I think you like her that's why you continued to be her friend Yori. You are are good man Mel, you couldn't leave a girl believing her friend abandoned her." Dan said. Mel looked contemplative.

"How could I love her, she's Sakura a loud-mouthed girl who everyone hates? Just because she tells me about how afraid she is to be different than them doesn't mean I should care. I've spent nights with her talking about nothing sharing forbidden kisses and why am I still talking. I'm such a coward aren't I. If we are to die, then it will be over regardless right." Dan didn't mention that it was just as cowardly to wait until you were about to die.

"Tell her and let the weight off your shoulders. Take her anger and if we come back you might get to know her as yourself instead of a shadow." Dan said and smiled. His eyes narrowed at Mel. The fool didn't know what he had. Dan planned to take the pinkette after he killed Mel. It is what his friend would have wanted.

"Should I go to her tonight?" Melchior asked.

"Of course, it'll be a surprise. Maybe she will be caught too unprepared to be mad." Dan said. That was unlikely. It was three in the morning. Sakura was going to be pissed. Mel had lost his sense of time with his change. Something Dan had long adjusted to.

"Thank you, Dan you're a real friend." Mel said.

XXX

The night was still young and full of hope. A face in the moon smiled down on him as the stars twinkled giving off their brilliant light. To his eye's night was lit as day and under starlight nothing was hidden. He traveled a familiar path through back alleys until he reached Sakura's home. His form changed to that of Yori as it had hundreds of times. Not since he'd first taken on this disguise had he felt so nervous as this night. Her window on the second story seemed higher than before. Stepping just under her window seal he leapt up.

His hands clamped upon the familiar windowsill silent as a ghost. Dan would have simply slipped through the wall and flown into her room. Melchior preferred his own approach. The window was unlocked, she expected her friend Yori to come inside and surprise her with a nightly romp. Sakura loved her friend Yori with a passion. They had each other to survive the loneliness they felt. Sakura couldn't be friends with another girl besides Yori and being friends with a guy would betray Sasuke.

Sakura slept in her bed tossing and turning pink hair aflutter. She was a flower preparing to bloom and a delightful person to know. She was loud and brash much like Naruto but with a childlike innocence that often set his heart racing. Sakura wasn't a killer yet and may not become one for some time. He wanted to be there for her after she took her first life and fell into a very human crisis. As Yori he could be her friend instead of a rival for love and pick up the pieces when she was rejected. Was it love or obsession that made him pull back the cover from her face and look upon her form? He knew every inch of her body and never grew tired of exploring known territory. Sakura was his but not his. She was his paradox, his love, and his obsession. Times with her was sweet and could weaken him, break him, and make him feel human. She made him feel like he could call this world home and just stay forever. He knew her but she didn't know him and that ate at his soul. Did he dare take the blinders off and expose her to his traitorous ways? Could he take the rejection that was sure to come?

He knew more than most and more than Dan thought. It didn't take much for his friend to convince him to do this because it was for Sakura's own good. Yori was important to Sakura, so if Yori vanished, a piece of Sakura would be taken away forever. It was a choice without a choice a paradox. He did this for her good knowing that it would hurt her, it would hurt him, and it would play into his friend's hands. It protected Sakura and he wanted her to be strong. As he watched her toss and turn, he realized, he had to tell her if only to give her a chance to have peace of mind. This was going to hurt and there was nothing he could do to stop it. So, he enjoyed this moment and watched her sleep. As Yori, he could watch her sleep and it wouldn't be disgusting to her. The truth was supposed to make things better but who benefited from exposing this lie. This was going to hurt but he had to hurt to heal from this lie. It was bitter medicine and it would kill him to lose her without ever telling her the truth.

After locking the door and taking out his calligraphy set, he quickly painted a series of seals on the door. No sounds would be heard when the argument happened. It was one of the only three seals he could do with his limited skill. Time wasn't on his side. She was tossing and turning more frequently his presence was waking her. It was breaking his heart to ignore her, but this was needed. Melchior wouldn't let their conversation be interrupted.

He took out a silk scarf and rubbed the sleep from her eyes and the drool from her nose. A taloned digit quickly snipped a lock of her hair. He put it in a test tube and corked it. If he needed to, he could use the impure resurrection to bring her back. From there he'd snag a rennegan to bring her back fully. Dan thought himself the only planner, but Melchior was catching on and catching up. It was the enzyme, it changed something in him, and his thoughts flowed clearly now.

Melchior placed his lips against hers and woke her with a kiss. Her tongue fond its way into his mouth and they danced as Yori was welcomed into Sakura's embrace. They played in the covers tossing and turning Melchior and his pink blossom. She was passionate, playful, and his for now. While under the illusion of friendship they could romp and play even as his hardness made itself known.

"Yori what's that?" Sakura asked. Her hand gripped his member tightly feeling the contours and creating a mental image. "You aren't Yori are you?"

Melchior placed his hands on her shoulder. "Sakura, I'm the same person you've known since before Iruka gave us the stalking assignment." Her green eyes widened then turned into a glare.

"Melchior you're the boy who can't throw a punch. The one too lazy to stalk me. But I knew you as Yori long before Iruka gave us the assignment." Sakura said. She was in shock and he knew it.

"People following is something I've done since joining the academy. It used to be to gather intel but then it turned into something else. I knew you wouldn't be my friend because of Sasuke, so I took another form." Melchior said.

"Why are you still using Yori's form? If you wanted to be my friend, then why go so far. Why did you step over the line?" Sakura demanded her voice heating up.

"You were sad, Sasuke wasn't recognizing you, and I couldn't throw a punch to save my life. I was a failure as a shinobi, and I didn't think Sasuke deserved you. So, I took you for myself and made you feel good and loved. You were so confident with yourself afterwards. Knowing that I'd changed you in some way made me feel like I was more than a passive observer. It is what awoke my ability to fight at the last second." Melchior said.

"You were selfish and just wanted my body." Sakura accused. "Turn back into yourself, I don't want to hear Yori's voice from you anymore. Was there ever a real Yori?" Sakura asked.

Blonde hair become brown, feminine features became masculine, and his frame shrank his inhuman muscles were stronger and lighter than a normal human's. It would take months to rebuild his frame. His blue eyes stared into her green as he waited for her to say something.

"I'm going on a mission in the morning. My teammate Dan used his own brand of genjutus to get us a mission that should be an A-rank or higher labeled a c-rank. The chances of us surviving it are low. I didn't want you to search for Yori never knowing what happened to her. A powerful blow rocked his head to the side.

"Why can't you tell the Hokage and get out of it? I have the son of the fourth wrapped around my finger something can be done." Sakura said.

"Dan is much stronger than anyone realizes. He's obsessed with making me strong enough to fight him for real. It's a battle he likes to call PVP. My teammate isn't slick. He keeps a journal in his room under less than brilliant traps. He can become intangible, walk through walls, and fly. That is just the tip of the iceberg. That doesn't change the fact that we're running into a nest of monsters and Dan is going to pretend to be weak." Melchior said.

"Ok, so what you're just going to give up and die?" Sakura asked. Her long pink hair covered most of her face, but he could see the beginnings of tears.

"I'm going to come back, its not easy to kill me anymore Sakura. Nice punch by the way." Melchior said.

"Yori, come back and we can have fun just the two of us." Sakura said.

"You're not mad at me!" Melchior asked.

"I'm furious and you're going to pay dearly for lying to me. But I'm not an academy student anymore and I'm not blind either." Sakura said.

"You professed your love for a guy who's obsessed with murdering his brother. Your best friend is a guy who kept you under illusions to suck his dick, while he played with you, and used you for his own desires. Then when he didn't want to deal with you anymore, he dropped the persona he used to get close to you and went to die." Melchior said.

"Are those monsters like enemy ninja or something?" Sakura asked.

"Their experimental monsters that can infect villagers giving them super strength, durability, and healing. We have no idea what their numbers are, and this could easily end with an over run world." Melchior said.

"Instead of letting anyone else deal with this you chose to sacrifice yourself and let me know that it was you going to die for me." Sakura said.

"You're going to war and you're dying for me." Sakura said with a blush.

"Oh, so you'll be disappointed when I come back." Melchior said.

"Nope, if you don't manage to die romantically for me, I'm going to make your life hell. I'm going to demand you take me out to eat, treat me like a queen, and buy me whatever I want." Sakura said. He leapt on her and she laughed as they tossed and turned. She bit him and her pink hair went everywhere. She moved her legs and managed to get on top of him. Their eyes met and he relaxed his grip on her. Her eyes were dilated. When their eyes met, he had some kind of effect on her.

"Seriously, I'm mad at you. I can't even differentiate you from Yori and did I mention I'm pissed. You aren't Sasuke but now I don't want him anyway. You messed with me and its dirty. You tricked my defenses and flower arrangement class warned me about this. Don't die, we'll figure this out and you aren't planning to take my flower, are you?" Sakura asked.

"I'm going to pluck it and your going to love every minute of it. But I don't have the time. I have some preparations to make." Melchior said. He approached the window feeling lighter than ever.

"You aren't going to see any other girls tonight, are you?" He grinned and leapt from the window watching her face change expressions. Chakra burst from his body slowing his descent before he hit the ground. It was a neat trick if draining. He couldn't repeat the trick more than twenty times before half his reserves were done.

Her eyes met his again and they dilated. It was his eyes, they did something. He didn't know if it came from his dragon form or the enzyme. She thought he'd tricked her defenses by building a relationship with Yori.

"Next time you come back return as Yori. My parents can't know I have a boy in the house." Sakura called to him. Melchior saluted her and made his way back home.

XXX

They were halfway to Wales and making excellent time. The Samurai Kyo sprinted the whole way while they followed behind him at a steady pace. Melchior wore a massive straw hat to keep the sun off his skin. Around his body was a heavy black cloak made of silk with a collar that covered his neck and most of his face. His eyes were protected by a set of heavy black shades. Wrapped tightly around his face was a red scarf made from Charlotte's silk. It kept his face, ears, and neck protected when his hat failed him. On each hand was a pair of soft brown leather gloves reinforced by Melchior's second seal. The seal of physical energy transference. Where the central seals lay on the glove's knuckles it transferred all his punch's energy. They were like brass knuckles in a sense. Hopefully, his knuckles could take the extra pressure.

**Quest **

** Slay a Demon **

** Reward **

** Dragon form upgrade **

** Chimera Dragon Ligament tempering**

** Quest **

** Slay a millionaire **

** Reward **

** Dragon form Upgrade **

** Chimera Dragon Flesh Tempering **

** Quest **

** Slay an Ice Angel **

** Reward **

** Dragon form Upgrade **

** Chimera Dragon Frost Magic **

** Quest **

** Slay a 1 vampire **

** Reward **

** Enzyme Upgrade **

** Chakra Drain Awakening **

** Quest **

** Slay 10 Vampires **

** Reward **

**Enzyme Upgrade **

**Sage Flesh Awakening **

**Quest **

**Slay 25 vampires **

**Reward **

**Enzyme Upgrade **

**Sage Chakra Strength **

**Quest **

** Slay a master vampire **

** Reward **

** Enzyme upgrade **

** Blood Line Drain **

They were making camp when all Seven quests popped up one after the other. He could barely handle a single upgrade now he had the chance for Seven. The enzyme upgrade was especially interesting. They were the closes ones at hand.

Neither Dan nor Melchior were tired when they reached their destination. It was a small village near Wales. The sun was about to make its descent, so they needed a place to sleep for the night. As they approached the village Melchior could tell something was wrong.

The village was a ghost town. No children played in the street. Fields near the village were left unattended. People moved about in the village like zombies trudging along without a purpose. They made their way to the villages Inn.

Melchior could tell the woman's eyes were glazed over like Sakura's had been. Only it was far worse. She had been blanked out fully. When she met them, she only took their money and handed out their room keys. No words were exchanged only grim expressions shared between their sensei and the Samurai. Five rooms were given out. It was time to prepare for the inevitable attack.


End file.
